Positioner and drive for blast furnace distributor



[7613- 1956 c. STECKLE ET AL POSITIONER AND DRIVE FOR BLAST FURNACEDISTRIBUTOR Filed Oct. 26, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet l 9 y M, T w NET J! 5 4EE e a/flm w 3W ML AY T M Y B c. STECKLE ET AL 2,736,440

POSITIONER AND DRIVE FOR BLAST FURNACE DISTRIBUTOR Feb. 28, 1956 3Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 26, 1954 lb air A fforney.

Feb. 28, 1956 c. STECKLE ET AL 2,736,440

POSITIONEIR AND DRIVE FOR BLAST FURNACE DISTRIBUTOR Filed Oct. 26. 19543 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORS. CHARLES STEC/(LE an d R0) 1.. W/NGENROTH,

their Afforney.

POSITIONER AND DRIVE FOR BLAST FURNACE DISTRIBUTOR Charles Steckle andRoy L. Wingenroth, Pittsburgh, Pa.,

assignors to United States Steel Corporation, a corporation of NewJersey Application October 26, 1954, Serial No. 464,792

3 Claims. (Cl. 214-37) This invention relates to an improved positionerand drive for a blast furnace distributor.

A conventional blast furnace includes a charging hopper at its upper endand a small bell and a large bell at the top and bottom respectively ofthis hopper. Materials to be charged to the furnace are introduced tothe hopper through the small bell with the large bell closed.Subsequently an accumulation of such materials is charged to the furnacethrough the large bell with the small bell closed. The purpose of thedouble-bell arrangement is to prevent escape of gases, which arecollected and used for various heating purposes. It is also known tomount the small bell in a distributor which rotates on a vertical axis.When materials are introduced to the small bell, the distributor andsmall bell are rotated to spread the material more evenly within thehopper. The distributor commonly is supported on a system of top, bottomand side rollers and is driven by a motor through suitable pinions andgears.

An object of the present invention is to provide a positioner and drivefor a distributor capable of maintaining the parts in alignment despitewear.

A further object is to provide an improved positioner and drive whichincludes adjustable backing means for the distributor ring gear oppositeits driving pinion, said backing means holding the gear and pinion inengagement regardless of wear on the rollers and also tending tominimize such wear.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the inven tion, we haveprovided improved details of structure, a preferred form of which isshown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a central vertical section through the top of a blastfurnace having the invention incorporated therein;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the positioner of my invention withassociated parts shown diagrammatically;

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken along the plane of line III-III ofFigure 2; and

Figure 4 is a section taken along the plane of line IV1V of Figure 3.

Figure 1 shows somewhat diagrammatically the upper portion of aconventional blast furnace which has a wall 10. A hopper 12 extendsdownwardly within the upper portion of the furnace from the top of thiswall. A housing 13 extends upwardly from the top of the wall, and at itsupper end rotatably supports a distributor 14. A small bell 15 islocated at the bottom of the distributor, where it is suspended on atubular rod 16 and rotates with the distributor. A large bell 17 islocated at the bottom of the hopper 12 where it is suspended on a rod 18extending through the bore of the rod 16. To prevent gas leakage, thetop of the housing 1.3 carries a stufiing box 19 which contains packingrings 20. The outside of the distributor 14 carries a cooperating gland21 and a circumferential flange 22 which is located above said gland andcarries a ring gear 23.

nited States Patent The supporting means for the distributor includes asystem of rollers which are journaled in suitable bearings mounted on afixed spider 24 surrounding the upper portion of the housing. Theserollers are shown only diagrammatically, and they include six bottomrollers 25 spaced at 60 intervals, three top rollers 26 spaced atintervals, and three side rollers 27 spaced at 120 intervals alternatingwith the top rollers. The various rollers engage the flange 22 on thedistributor. The spider 24 carries a drive motor 28 and a horizontallyextending drive shaft 29. A vertically extending pinion shaft 30 isjournaled in bearings 31 and 32 mounted in a housing 33 which is fixedto the spider 24. The drive shaft 29 drives the pinion shaft 30 througha worm 34 and worm gear 35 situated in the lower part of the housing 33.The pinion shaft 30 carries a pinion 36 which meshes with the outside ofthe ring gear 23 for driving the distributor.

In accordance with our invention, a pair of spaced apart upstandingbrackets 40 are bolted to the pinion housing 33. The upper ends of thebrackets carry a three-sided support which includes a pair of spacedapart bars 41 extending substantially radially of the distributor 14 anda cross bar 42 connecting the outer ends of the first named bars. Torigidify this support, a tie plate 43 preferably is bolted across thetop of the bars 41 and a tie bolt 44 connects their inner ends. Theinner ends of the bars 41 project over the inner edge of the ring gear23. I

A hearing housing 45 is slidably mounted between the two bars 41, havingguideways 46 formed on its opposite sides receiving said bars. Anadjustment bolt 47 extends radially of the distributor through saidbearing housing and the cross bar 42, and carries nuts 48 on its outerend. The bearing housing contains bearings in which a pair of dependingbacking rollers 49 are journaled for rotation on vertical axes. Therollers 49 engage the back or inner surface of the ring gear 23 oppositethe place where the pinion 36 engages. The actual point of engagement ofthe pinion of course lies midway between the two backing rollers. Therollers 49 are brought into close engagement with the inside of the ringgear 23 by tightening the nuts 48 on the bolt 47.

The side rollers 27 are subject to wear which tends to loosen thedistributor and allow the gear and pinion to disengage. Such loosenesscan also produce eccentricity at the stuffing box 19 and allow escape ofgases around the packing 20. Once the nuts 48 are tightened, the backingrollers 49 positively hold the ring gear 23 and distributor 14 in aproper concentric position with the ring gear engaging the pinion 36.Since there is less chance for play in the parts, wear is minimized. Ifdesired, when our backing rolls are used, one of the adjacent siderollers 27 can be dispensed with. Our arrangement of backing rollers canbe installed on existing equipment with only minor structuralalterations.

While we have shown and described only a single embodiment of theinvention, it is apparent that modifications may arise. Therefore, we donot wish to be limited to the disclosure set forth but only by the scopeof the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a blast furnace which includes a spider fixed adjacent the upperend of the furnace, a distributor supported on said spider for rotationon a vertical axis, a ring gear carried by said distributor, a pinionmeshing with the outside of said ring gear, and drive means for saidpinion supported on said spider, the combination with said ring gear ofa positioner comprising a support fixed with respect to said spiderabove said pinion and extending over said ring gear, at least onebearing carried by said support, and a depending backing rollerjournaled in said bearing and engaging "the inside of said-"ring gearopposite said pinion.

2. In a blast furnace which includes a spider fixed adjacent the top ofthe furnace, a distributor supported on said spider for rotation on avertical axis, a ring gear carried by said distributor, a pinion meshingwith the outside of said ring gear, and drive means for said pinionsupported on said'spider, the combination with said ring gear of apositioner comprising a support fixed with respect to said spiderabovesaid pinion and extending over said ring gear, 'at least onebearing slidably mounted in said support, a depending backing rollerjournaled in said bearing, and an adjustingbolt connected to saidbearing and said support for positioning said roller in engagement withthe inside of said ring gear opposite said pinion.

3. In a blast furnace which includes a spider fixed"adjacent-"thedop"ofthefurnace, a distributor supported on said spiderfor rotation on a vertical axis, a ring gear carried by saiddistributor, a pinion meshing With the outside of said ring gear, anddrive means for said pinion supported by said spider, the combinationwith said ring gear of a positioner comprising a support fixed withrespect to said spider above said pinion and extending over said ringgear, a bearing housing slidably mounted in said support for movementradially of the distributor, a pair of depending backing rollersjournaled in said bearing housing for rotation on vertical axes, and anadjusting bolt connected to said bearing housing and said support forpositioning said rollers in engagement with the inside of said ring gearopposite said pinion.

No references cited.

